Mathew William Phelps is an American

crime writer True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...

and

investigative journalist Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

, podcaster, and TV presenter.

Career

Phelps is the author of 39 fact-based nonfiction (true crime) books, 2 thrillers, and four history books, including co-authoring ''Failures of the Presidents'' with Thomas J. Craughwell. Phelps has written for the ''

Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island, and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspape ...

'', '' Hartford Courant'' and '' New London Day'', and consulted on the first season of the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

cable television series '' Dexter''. After his book ''Murder in the Heartland'' was released, Phelps went on '' Good Morning America'' to talk about the 2004

murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett Bobbie Jo Stinnett (December 4, 1981 – December 16, 2004) was an American 23-year-old pregnant woman who was murdered in Skidmore, Missouri in December 2004. The perpetrator, Lisa Marie Montgomery, then aged 36-years-old, strangled Stinnett t ...

covered in his book about convicted killer

Lisa M. Montgomery Bobbie Jo Stinnett (December 4, 1981 – December 16, 2004) was an American 23-year-old Pregnancy, pregnant woman who was murdered in Skidmore, Missouri, Skidmore, Missouri in December 2004. The perpetrator, Lisa Marie Montgomery, then aged 36-y ...

. Beginning in January 2012, he produced and hosted with criminal profiler John Kelly the

Investigation Discovery Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...

series ''Dark Minds,'' which airs on the

channel. The series features unsolved serial murders. When Phelps' book ''The Killing Kind'' was released in June 2014, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' wrote, "Fans of the author's Discovery TV series, "Dark Minds," will be rewarded." He was featured in ''

Writers Digest ''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It contains interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles. History ''Writer's Digest'' was first published in December 1920 under ...

'' with his debut true-crime book ''Perfect Poison'' in 2003 and again with the release of his eighth book, ''I'll be Watching You'', in 2009. The ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' in a February 2012 review called Phelps' book ''Never See Them Again'', about Texas killer Christine Paolilla, a "riveting new book" that "examines one of the most horrific murders in recent American history." '' Kirkus Reviews'' called it a "thorough account of a quadruple murder in a Houston suburb in 2003." Phelps' book ''Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America's First Spy'' was listed as number 14 on ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' bestseller list in e-book nonfiction the week of May 11, 2014. ''

Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this i ...

'' actor

Peter Facinelli Peter Facinelli (born November 26, 1973) is an American actor and film and television producer. He starred as Donovan "Van" Ray on the Fox series '' Fastlane'' from 2002 to 2003. He played Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the film adaptations of the ''Tw ...

in June 2014 acquired movie rights for his ''Nathan Hale'' book.

Personal life

Phelps is divorced and a father. Phelps' sister-in-law was murdered in 1996, and the killer was never found. He now resides in

Tolland County, Connecticut Tolland County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on 13 October 1785 from portions of eastern Ha ...

Published works

True crime

* ''Perfect Poison'' (2003) * ''Lethal Guardian'' (2004) * ''Every Move You Make'' (2005) * ''Murder in the Heartland'' (2006) * ''Sleep in Heavenly Peace'' (2007) * ''Because You Loved Me'' (2008) * ''If Looks Could Kill'' (2008) * ''I'll Be Watching You'' (2008) * ''Cruel Death'' (2009) * ''Deadly Secrets'' (2009) * ''Death Trap'' (2010) * ''Kill For Me'' (2010) * ''The Devil's Rooming House'' (2010) * ''Love Her To Death'' (2011) * ''Too Young to Kill'' (2011) * ''Never See Them Again'' (2012) * ''Bad Girls'' (2013) * ''Kiss of the She-Devil'' (2013) * ''Obsessed'' (2014) * ''The Killing Kind'' (2014) * ''One Breath Away'' (2015) * ''To Love And To Kill'' (2015) * ''I'd Kill For You'' (2015) * ''If You Only Knew'' (2016) * ''Don't Tell A Soul'' (2017) * ''Targeted'' (2017) * ''Dangerous Ground'' (2017) * ''Beautifully Cruel'' (2017)

History

* ''Failures of the Presidents: From the Whiskey Rebellion and War of 1812 to the Bay of Pigs and War in Iraq'' (2008) With Thomas J. Caughwell * ''Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America's First Spy'' (2008) * ''The Devil's Right Hand: The Tragic Story of the Colt Family Curse'' (2011) * ''Crimes of the Presidents'' (2013)

Awards

* 2014: Society of Professional Journalists' Connecticut chapter, 2nd place, Investigative Reporting * 2008: New England Book Festival Award for ''I'll Be Watching You''

References

External links

*
Kensington Books' Author Bio

Crime Rant
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, M. William Living people 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American mystery writers American non-fiction crime writers Novelists from Connecticut 1968 births 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers